Presidential Address, IFLA Jerusalem Conference, August 2000 Christine Deschamps would like to begin by quoting during the past year. The first, Ithe following parable from the entirely internal to IFLA, was of Christine Deschamps, IFLA's Presi- Talmud. One day, King Solomon course the work carried out on the dent, has been the Director of the called over his chief Counsellor and revision of the IFLA Statutes, and Library of the University Paris V told him, "I read in the stars that the revision concerning the Core (René Descartes) since 1993. From everyone who eats from this year's Programmes. However I would not 1989 until 1993 she was Chef de crops will be stricken with mad- want to claim credit that was not Bureau in the Ministère de l'Educa- ness. What do you suggest we do due to me: it is clear that the excel- tion Nationale, in charge of all acad- about it, my friend?" lent drafting of the new Statutes emic libraries' automation, network- submitted to you is primarily the ing, interlibrary loan and union cata- "Your majesty, please order that work of our Secretary General, Mr logues. In 1988 she was Director of some of what is left over from last Ross Shimmon. the ISSN Centre. She spent 13 years year's harvest be kept for us, and working as a medical librarian in the we will not touch anything that is But naturally the general outlines largest medical library in France, grown this year." were drafted on the basis of the first as a reference librarian and work of an ad hoc Consultative then as Director of the Library of the "What would be the result, my Group, and were discussed by both University of Paris VII (Denis friend?", asked the king. "We alone the full Professional Board and the Diderot). Ms Deschamps serves on would remain with a sound mind, Executive Board, before being sent the Board of Directors of OCLC. In amongst all these men stricken to you. 1998 she was awarded the Insignia with madness. They would say that de Chevalier de l'Order National du we are the crazy ones and not them. The major idea underlying these Mérite, because of her international Besides, there is not enough left Statutes is undoubtedly to give commitment within IFLA, but also over from last year's crops to feed IFLA a structure both more democ- because of her work with OCLC. Ms the entire population!" ratic and better adapted to the Deschamps may be contacted at needs of the 21st century. Organiza- Bibliothèque de l'Université Paris V "So what can we do, Your tions, like individuals, grow old. (Rene Descartes), 49, rue des Majesty?" asked the Counsellor. They also need, at regular intervals, Saints-Pères, 75005 Paris, France King Solomon answered: "We have a facelift, a new garb, a complete (fax: (+33-1) 45449545; e-mail: no other solution than to be mad rejuvenation. That which was quite [email protected]). along with everybody else. But I suitable in the 1970s is no longer would like us to be different in this: suited to the year 2000, and the [Madame Deschamps delivered her that we should be aware of our development of IFLA's membership address in French during the 66th IFLA General Conference and Council, folly." requires better representation, a Jerusalem, Israel, 13-18 August 2000. broader management structure, and The French version may be found at "How is that possible?" asked the better supported and stronger exec- <www.ifla.org/>. The English translation Counsellor. utive authority. We hope that the was prepared by Winston Roberts, for- new structures will appear to you to mer Coordinator of Professional Activi- "You and I will put the sign of mad- be more appropriate. ties at IFLA Headquarters.] ness on our foreheads. Every time I look at you and every time that you Regarding the Core Programmes, look at me, we will both be aware our Treasurer, Derek Law, already that we are mad, that there was a informed us some time ago about time when we were not so, and that the need to review our core activi- maybe the time will come when we ties in the light of declining finan- are not so any more..."1 cial support and changing priorities. At the usual rate of spending, this As every year, the time has come to year is the last in which we can sum up the various activities that I fund these programmes in their have been able to accomplish as present form. Things cannot contin- President of IFLA. ue like this. Before speaking of my visits to Let us be clear: IFLA does not have librarians around the world, I the means to continue these pro- would like to emphasize two essen- grammes, and we would have gone tial lines of research and debate "into the red" as from next year. It IFLA JOURNAL 26 (2000) 5/6 337 Christine Deschamps is true that these programmes are their continuing commitment. But nize the need and the value of partly funded by certain national or there again, times are changing, IFLA's regional structure while, at university libraries, whose generos- and technical progress requires us the same time, enabling people in ity, year after year, I want to pub- to re-examine the content of our those regions to participate in the licly acknowledge. But that is not activities in order to help libraries overall professional programmes of enough, and IFLA cannot provide as best we can to rise to new chal- IFLA". the balance of the total cost. This lenges in a constantly changing situation, which is forcing us to environment. In this context, not to That is our ambition. I hope that look again at the structures of the change is to stagnate, and thus to everyone interested will contribute Core Programmes, is also therefore die. Libraries must prove their to the consultation so that we can the opportunity to go back to basics capacity to change, and the body come up with workable proposals. and think about the content of that represents them, IFLA, must be these programmes as much as their the first to organize change. I want As for my work dealing with IFLA's method of operation and funding. to reassure you that we will not external relations, I would say the change everything all at once for main theme this year has been con- Some libraries pay, and in addition the sake of changing, and jettison sideration of the training of new host a programme, and provide one achievements and successes. But we information professionals, these or more professional staff; some cannot continue indefinitely to "knowledge workers" as they are pay without hosting a programme; work according to old patterns, or often called. Librarians, documen- and some do not pay at all. There- else we will become slow and talists, archivists, museum special- fore, having determined the situa- inflexible. ists, all have common and overlap- tion by a report on the contribution ping competencies. To acquire of national libraries (only the As for the more delicate problem of these, common training should be library of the University of Uppsala, the future of Division 8, we are well envisaged, with specialized options Sweden, which hosts the ALP Pro- on the way to finding a solution according to different career paths. gramme, falls outside this category), which will allow the developing The development of the informa- we thought it necessary to cooper- countries to continue to work tion society and relevant new tech- ate with the Conference of Directors together, in accordance with their nologies is closing the gaps of National Libraries (CDNL) to try wishes, while at the same time - so between these professions. The and propose a programme of con- far from marginalizing them by management of records of archives tributions (in terms of budget, confining them in a separate struc- and particularly of electronic staffing, or other) which would be ture - will integrate them into the archives of commercial firms and shared more equally among these work of the Sections and core activ- private societies, the management libraries. ities. of image banks in museums, the notion of preservation and conser- Mr van Drimmelen, Director of the At last year's conference, the Work- vation, the storage and indexing of Royal Library of the Netherlands, ing Group on the Revision of electronic or traditional objects, and chaired the "Group of Seven" mem- IFLA's Statutes made a number of searching for these data, are tasks bers of the Conference of Directors recommendations. All except one common to all these professions. of National Libraries to help us found favor and have now been New methods of description - meta- come to an acceptable solution, incorporated in the proposed new data / numerical identifiers - form based on preliminary proposals pre- Statutes. However, the proposal to the basis of the work of codification sented to them at last year's confer- abolish the Division of Regional that librarians call cataloguing, but ence. I am delighted to say, that Activities (Division 8) was with- also of the daily work of related with the Group's help, we are very drawn, in the light of the debates professions. New competencies are close to agreement. during the conference. Instead, a appearing in step with the evolu- new Advisory Group, ably chaired tion of our professional tasks. In Some Core Programmes will be by Marjorie Bloss, was set up to particular I took part this last north- able to stay as they are, as they are explore the issues surrounding that ern winter, in discussions with the the only actors in their specific recommendation and its withdraw- Council of Europe on cultural work field.